New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Women have long dominated the heated discussion around gender equality . But one group not engaging in the conversation is men , says Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg .

What 's more , in her new bestseller `` Lean In , '' Sandberg argues gender parity is impossible without them .

`` I think it is too hard for men to talk about gender , '' says Sandberg . `` We have to let men talk about this ... because we need men to talk about this if it is ever going to change . ''

And with men at the helm of most large companies , engaging the other 50 % of the population in the gender debate is the key to gender equality , she says .

`` I do n't think men should be part of `` Lean In '' or part of equality because it 's nice for women . They need to be part of it for themselves ... as managers and as peers in the workforce this is a competitive advantage for men . ''

If 86 % of the top jobs are held by men and they tend to be older than the women who have just joined their companies , inviting this group of decision makers to help mentor women into top roles is the logical way forward , explains Sandberg .

'' -LSB- For -RSB- every man out there , it should be a badge of honor to mentor young women . Not something you 're ashamed to do , not something you 're afraid someone will assume something bad , but a badge of honor that you are willing to spend your time giving the benefit of your experience to young women in the workforce . They need it . ''

As a female leader who has only worked for men and been mentored by men , her track record and success is proof in itself .

`` I 've never worked for a woman . Most women , if they get senior , have never worked for a woman , because again , 86 percent of the top jobs are held by men . I 've had great mentors and great sponsors and part of Lean In is trying to help people find the right way to develop those mentors and sponsors . ''

As a Harvard graduate , she was selected to join the World Bank by her former professor , Larry Summers and later went on to become his Chief-of-Staff at the U.S. Treasury after working at McKinsey and earning her M.B.A. . In the midst of moving to Google and then Facebook , Sandberg wed and had two children , a boy and a girl .

But Sandberg 's book -- what she calls `` a sort '' of feminist manifesto -- has n't been without critics . The Facebook executive received overwhelming reactions from female columnists at USA Today and the New York Times as well as authors specializing in gender workplace issues .

One notable reaction came from Avivah Wittenberg-Cox , who runs a global management consultancy , 20-first , that helps companies achieve greater gender balance .

In a recent Harvard Business Review article , Cox argues Sandberg is insulting women by suggesting they need to be more like men to succeed and even suggests she 's blaming them . `` We 've never , in all of human history , seen a generation of brighter , better educated or more ambitious women , '' she writes . `` They have the keys . We just still have n't figured out how to adapt our organizations to optimize their talents . ''

But Sandberg explains her point is quite the contrary . `` I 'm not telling women to be like men . I 'm telling us to evaluate what men and women do in the workforce and at home without the gender bias . ''

What 's more , Sandberg has also noticed it is women , not men who 've been most vocal about the book .

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`` Most of the debate about `` Lean In '' has been women , especially the first couple weeks before the book was out . The most surprising thing was that no man said a word . I could n't find a man writing a line , not saying a word . ''

Sandberg is n't just pointing out the stalled feminist revolution ; she also offers a solution with Leanin.org , a not-for-profit foundation that will help spur change by offering women the ongoing inspiration and support to help them achieve their goals .

Funded by her book and corporate sponsors , the foundation will allow professional women to review social science research , share stories and receive online training and practical advice on career development -- to help women `` take a seat at the table '' .

`` Lean In is not about fixing women . And it 's certainly not about any one person doing this on their own , '' she asserts . `` Lean In is about all of us coming together to understand the stereotypes that are holding women back and fix them . And to start having an honest conversation about women in the workplace . ''

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Men need to engage in the workplace gender equality debate , says Sandberg

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Sandberg says it should be a ` badge of honor ' to mentor women into top roles

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Facebook COO has written a book , which has received mixed response from critics